1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to electricity, conductors and insulators. More specifically, the invention relates to sheaths, coverings, or housings for cable connections, especially to water resistant coverings for telephone cable connectors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is often desirable to shield electrical connections against foreign matter, especially moisture, to protect the connection against contamination and failure. Numerous covers have been proposed for this purpose, some of which are intended to be perfectly air tight while others are merely modestly efficient in preventing gross contact with the connection. Such covers may be constructed in snap-together halves with tongue and groove edges that permanently engage. Other construction is known to include a sleeve that overlaps the connection and is tightly bound to the cable at either end thereof by clamps, grommets, or tape. Those covers that merely prevent gross contact with the connection may also include snap-together halves, but the connection to the cable may be quite loose.
The primary problem in creating any sort of cable connection cover is adapting the cover to snugly engage the cable itself, since cables are made in many different sizes. It is quite difficult and impractical to design a cable cover for each size of cable that may be found in a specific type of application, and for this reason most preexisting covers are not well suited for use on a variety of cable sizes. Some attempted solutions to the cable size problems have employed stretchable rubber sleeves that are applied with a special tool to bring the sleeve over the connection, after which the sleeve grips the cable through its own resilience. Another solution is to use a plastic bag-like cover that is enveloped over the connection and then taped similarly or otherwise sealed to the cable. Such covers are unsatisfactory because they are awkward to use, disorderly in appearance, and difficult to apply, remove, or replace.
The present invention offers a solution to all of these problems by creating a cable connector cover that is easy to apply or remove, adaptable to a wide range of cable sizes, and suited for use in circumstances where a modest amount of dirt or water may be encountered.